Pre Sales Manager

The Pre-Sales Manager position requires hands-on engagement and technical expertise required to support the sales process before a deal is closed. He / She will be the technical backbone of the sales organization, bridging the gap between a client's technical needs and the software solution's capabilities.

Core Responsibilities of a Pre-Sales Professional/Manager:

Consultative Selling through Technical Discovery and Needs Assessment:

• Engage with prospective clients to deeply understand their current technical environment, existing systems, workflows, pain points, and business challenges.
• Engage with C-level executives, IT decision-makers, and technical stakeholders at prospective and existing client organizations.
• Conduct in-depth discovery to understand client pain points, technical challenges, and business requirements.
• Ask probing technical questions to uncover explicit and implicit requirements.
• This is a critical step to ensure the proposed solution truly addresses the customer's needs.

Product Demonstrations and Presentations:

• Conduct tailored product demonstrations that highlight how the software's features and functionalities directly solve the client's identified problems.
• Go beyond generic demos, customizing them to resonate with the specific industry, use cases, and technical environment of the prospect.
• Deliver technical presentations to various audiences, from IT managers and engineers to C-level executives, translating complex technical concepts into business value.

Solution Design and Architecture:

• Based on discovery, design and propose a technical solution that leverages the company's software products, potentially including integrations with existing client systems.
• This often involves creating technical blueprints, diagrams, and outlining the proposed architecture.
• Assess the feasibility and potential risks of implementing the solution within the client's environment.

Proof of Concept (POC) / Pilot Management:

• For complex deals, lead or assist in setting up and guiding Proofs of Concept (POCs) or pilot programs. This involves configuring the software in a limited environment to demonstrate its value and technical fit to the client.
• Ensure the POC delivers on agreed-upon objectives and showcases the software's capabilities effectively.

Technical Proposal and RFP/RFI Responses:

• Contribute significantly to the technical sections of proposals, RFPs (Request for Proposal), and RFIs (Request for Information).
• Ensure technical accuracy and clarity in all documentation.

Technical Liaison and Trusted Advisor:

• Act as the primary technical point of contact for the client throughout the sales cycle.
• Address technical questions, concerns, and objections from client IT teams and other stakeholders.
• Build credibility and trust by demonstrating deep product knowledge and industry expertise.
• Participate in complex sales negotiations, addressing technical objections and ensuring contractual terms align with technical capabilities.
• Guide the technical aspects of proposals, SOWs (Statements of Work), and other deal-related documentation.

Competitive Analysis:

• Understand competitor offerings from a technical perspective and articulate the company's unique technical differentiators.

Feedback to Product and Engineering:

• Provide valuable market and customer feedback to product management and engineering teams, influencing future product development and roadmap.

Key Skills for Pre-Sales Professionals:

• Strong Technical Aptitude: Deep understanding of software development, architecture, relevant technologies (e.g., cloud, APIs, databases, specific industry technologies).
• Excellent Communication & Presentation Skills: Ability to articulate complex technical ideas simply and persuasively to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Consultative Selling: The ability to listen, ask the right questions, and truly understand a customer's problems before proposing solutions.
• Problem-Solving: Strong analytical skills to diagnose client challenges and design effective technical solutions.
• Business Acumen: Understanding how technical solutions translate into business benefits and ROI for the client.
• Relationship Building: Ability to build rapport and trust with client stakeholders.
• Adaptability: The capacity to learn new technologies quickly and adapt demonstrations to various scenarios.
• Collaboration: Work effectively with the core sales team (Account Executives) and other internal teams (Product, Engineering, Professional Services).
• At least 10 years of experience with 5 years in the Pre Sales field 
• Academic degree in Engineering, or a related field